Discover Breddin through its tangible traces of history: the Maria Magdalena Church, the railway station and the Stud Farm Trail, which also passes through Damelack. This makes it possible to consciously include local architectural history and broader regional themes in your travel plans.
The Maria Magdalena Church: Architectural History and Interior
The Maria Magdalena Church in Breddin was extended in a cruciform shape to the east in 1847. The Romanesque-style extension reaches as far as a semicircular fieldstone apse with brick edging. The interior also provides a sense of its history: it dates from the renovation around 1847 and was restored after 1963. The altarpiece depicts “Christ in Gethsemane”; it is a copy after an Italian master. Anyone interested in church architecture and art will find several details in one place: the shape of the building, the material of the apse and the subject of the altarpiece.
The church is open to visitors free of charge during the day from Easter until Reformation Day. This seasonal restriction is relevant when planning a visit; check local access information before you go. The architectural and interior details described here remain a useful guide for anyone interested in the church.
Damelack: Square, Egg House and Stud Farm Trail
In Damelack, a district of the municipality of Breddin, old lime trees, oaks and chestnuts surround the square by the listed church. The so-called “Egg House” is also a listed building. These features are specific to Damelack and add a distinct setting within the municipality to its local history.
Damelack lies on the Stud Farm Trail between the Brandenburg State Stud in Neustadt (Dosse) and the Mecklenburg State Stud in Redefin. On a larger scale, the 160-kilometre Stud Farm Trail runs between these two studs and forms a supraregional network of bridleways together with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Brandenburg State Stud in Neustadt (Dosse) is a special attraction for equestrians in Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The trail is therefore clearly connected to the studs both in Damelack and in the wider regional context.
A Historical Trace at the Railway Station
Breddin railway station opened in 1886—exactly 40 years after the opening of the Berlin–Hamburg Railway. This time gap places the station’s history within a specific chronology. The opening of the station is a historical reference point for Breddin.
Ostprignitz-Ruppin: Landscape and Nature
Beyond Breddin, Ostprignitz-Ruppin offers a broader perspective on the landscape. The region is rural in character and encompasses vast, quiet landscapes, green beech and pine forests, meadows, tree-lined avenues that provide shade, and numerous lakes and rivers. The Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide covers 12,000 hectares in Ostprignitz-Ruppin and has been part of Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park since 2021. It is one of Europe’s largest contiguous areas of Calluna heathland and provides a habitat for numerous protected and endangered animal species, including more than 70 bird species; wolves have also lived there since 2008.
A range of activities are described for exploring nature: Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park lies partly within Ostprignitz-Ruppin and is ideal for hiking and cycling. The Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide can also be explored on electric-assist fat bikes along unpaved, often sandy paths, allowing visitors to experience its flora and fauna with minimal impact. On Heinz Sielmann Hill, the 15-metre-high Heath Tower offers expansive views across the varied landscape of Ostprignitz-Ruppin.
Routes and Culture in the Region
The routes in Ostprignitz-Ruppin also vary in their focus. The Ruppiner Land Circular Hiking Trail partly follows European long-distance footpath E10. The Fontane Cycle Route leads to places and landscapes described by Theodor Fontane in his work “Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg” (“Walks through the March of Brandenburg”). For cyclists interested in medieval history, the 108-kilometre Bishop’s Tour offers another regional perspective: among other places, it passes through Heiligengrabe and Wittstock and invites visitors on a journey through the Prignitz landscape back to the Middle Ages. The Bishop’s Tour runs entirely on paved, signposted cycle paths; Heiligengrabe and Wittstock have rail connections to Berlin and Hamburg.
Discover more destinations: Kyritz, Fehrbellin, Heiligengrabe, Zernitz-Lohm, Langen, Neustadt, Märkisch Linden, Rüthnick.
For the broader travel overview: Ostprignitz-Ruppin.
